Hiking moms tote precious cargo, indeed

Jane Lowry, 11months, sits in her carrier as her mother, Emily Lowry, right, gets ready for a hike with Bridget Hogue, left, and Marlene Dodge, center, at Eisenhower Park.

Photo By BOB OWEN/STAFF

Bridget Hogue with son Oliver, left, and Caroline Karnes with son Wylie hit the trail in Eisenhower Park.

Photo By BOB OWEN/STAFF

A group of young mothers, right to left, Caroline Karnes, Marlene Dodge, Bridget Hogue and Emily Lowry, carry their babies as the hike along a trail in Eisenhower Park. Friday, Jan. 13, 2012. Photo Bob Owen/rowen@express-news.net

Photo By BOB OWEN/STAFF

Caroline Karnes, right, carries her son Wylie, 1 yr, as they prepare to go on a mountain hike at Eisenhower Park with otheryoung mothers with their babies, Friday, Jan. 13, 2012. Photo Bob Owen/rowen@express-news.net

About once a week, a group of 10 or so people meets at a park to go hiking.

Well, half are hiking. The others are just along for the ride.

The hikers are mothers who hit the trail with their babies strapped to their back or chest. They navigate loose rocks, tree roots and steep paths while carrying precious - often heavy - cargo.

Caroline Karnes, who was a backpacking guide in college in Colorado, began hiking with her son, Wylie, when he was about 6 weeks old. Now he's 1 and weighs a little more than 20 pounds.

"I'm in much better shape than had I expected to be," Karnes says. "You know, losing all the baby weight. I can tell my legs are stronger from carrying an extra 20 pounds while walking up and down hills."

On a recent midday trip to Eisenhower, four moms met up and tackled trails that were at times rugged enough they needed to grab tree branches for balance.

They talked mom talk - their babies' sleeping habits, a great sale on infant clothing at a mall store - while their babies dozed or watch the world go by.

Other park visitors stopped to watch the parade of moms and babies.

"I don't want him to be a TV-and-video-game kid," says Bridget Hogue, who hikes with 10-month-old Oliver. "I want him to play outside. My husband and I both like sports a lot. We want to be able to do those things with him."

Lauren Pepping, 27, says she likes to explore different natural areas with her baby, Maya, who just turned 1.

"Our intent is to get out and exercise and get back in shape, but it's also to hang out and see fun areas of San Antonio, too," she says.

"It's talking to other moms, getting her out into the fresh air and seeing wilderness," says Emily Lowry as she and 11-month-old Jane, perched in a contraption on her back, pass a clump of cactus.

Sometimes the group - as many as eight mothers with their babies - hit easier spots, such as the River Walk Museum Reach, and push the babies in strollers.

Even carrying them strapped to their bodies, the mothers are graceful as they duck under tree branches and maneuver down hills.

"It's like being pregnant," says Marlene Dodge, who hikes with her 4-month-old daughter, Charlotte, bound to her chest.

Hogue agrees: "You get used to your center of gravity being different. They're so little when you start. They grow over time, and you get used to it."